


The Lonely Star Guardian

by Winterose



Series: Star Guardians [5]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Guardians, Star Guardians, Star Guardians AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-29 00:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15061598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterose/pseuds/Winterose
Summary: Syndra has always been the one to be a bit outsider among the Star Guardians. Sometimes being different may cause trouble that breaks the connection built on uncertainty.~*~This fic has two chapters: one that shows the fight in "Shooting Stars" from Syndra's perspective and one that takes place after the fight.





	1. This is what I live for

Syndra attacked. The creatures of Void seemed to take no harm in Star Guardians’ attacks.

_ Damn that, _ Syndra bit her teeth together.  _ This is useless. They may look like bugs, but for real, it’s us that are just annoying bugs in their territory. If we can’t find a way to break them, we’ll soon be their toys. _

A series of noises broke through Syndra’s thoughts. She turned around to see the tentacle monster shoot a bright beam of purple light, cutting Ahri’s way from reaching Soraka, Miss Fortune, Janna, Lulu and Poppy. Ahri’s voice rang somewhere shouting orders to retreat. The beam of light moved towards Soraka and the others. Quickly Janna and Miss Fortune hurried to lift Lulu and Poppy in their arms, and Soraka tried her best supporting the two by giving them energy. She was testing her limits. All three of them were screaming. The beam was hot, even before hitting them directly, it burned their skins.

_ They won’t get out of there in time, _ Syndra thought, frozen where she was.  _ I can’t make it in time either. There’s nothing I can do for them. Nothing. Again I’m losing my comrades to the Void. _

Janna and Miss Fortune, with Lulu and Poppy in their hands, jumped to fly off. Soraka tried to follow them, but was too weak to fly and fell on her knees instead. Syndra felt her heart skip a beat.  _ No, _ she thought and flew towards Soraka.  _ Faster, faster! _ Her speed was limited and her strength almost gone. Janna and Miss Fortune slowed down to look behind them. They saw Soraka sit in the ground, but neither of them could turn around.

“Soraka!” Miss Fortune’s voice was broken, lost all the confidence she usually had, but stark enough to know she knew her own limits as well. No tears, no screams, only a face of a lost fighter, counting her possibilities.

_ No _ , Syndra thought and reached her hand forward.  _ It is not too late. _

Soraka raised her face and met Syndra’s eyes. She was burnt, tired, strengthless. She sat in the ground and looked up to Syndra, a faint smile on her lips, tiny teardrops in her big eyes. Her lips formed the word “goodbye” before the light surrounded her and made her scream loudly in pain.

“NO!” Syndra shouted and stopped. The beam was burning, it hurt to look upon, it hurt to stand close by. Syndra was so close that she could barely breathe, looking through the light, trying to see a sign of Soraka somewhere.

“Gahh!” Syndra had to take a few meters back from the beam. While flying backwards, she flew her balls off to somewhere towards the origin of the beam. A loud screech and the end of the light. Syndra had no idea if her balls had hit their target, and she didn’t care. She flew down to the dead ground where Soraka lay, not moving, hardly breathing. Softly Syndra touched Soraka’s cheek. It was burning hot, but pale as ever under all the dust and dirt covering everything.

“Syndra, we’ll have to go!” Ahri had reached them after the beam went out. Outside she was calm and confident, like a true leader, but Syndra could sense the fear inside. Ahri was, if anyone, broken by sorrow and fear of losing her comrades.  _ I’m not the only one, who’s been through this before. Both teams have veterans, after all. _ “Retreat, now!”

Syndra looked at Ahri and nodded. Ahri was about to lift Soraka, but Syndra was faster.

“You’ll need to be able to fly”, Syndra whispered and took up from the ground. “You can’t slow down by her wight. Help the others. Be the leader you are meant to be.”

Ahri nodded. She flew next to Syndra and faster forward, to take the lead when they flew from the lost world. Syndra looked at the Star Guardians around her. Only half of them flew on their own, half were carried off by someone; she carried Soraka, Janna had Lulu and Miss Fortune had Poppy. Lux had Ezreal in her arms, and Jinx flew with them, half dragging them along.  _ She is strong. By nature and physically as well.  _ Ahri flew ahead, towards the gate, Kiko dashing around her borrowing her energy to the Star Guardians.

Once they were through the gate, Archmage Ryze closed it after them. Most of the Star Guardians fell on their knees, and Lux seemed to faint. Jinx caught her mid air and Ahri hurried to catch Ezreal before he hit the ground. Ahri sat next to his bloody body and whispered something, her tails moving slowly behind her back.

Syndra lay Soraka down and looked at her fragile features. Soraka’s green hair was beautiful, even when tangled badly. Syndra moved a lonely flock of hair from Soraka’s face. Some minions came from the shadows, willing to carry the wounded away for treatment, if any could be given. Syndra let them take Soraka and looked after them while standing back up.

“What were you doing back there?” a voice surprised Syndra. She turned around to see Janna stand in front of her.

“Fighting, like everyone else”, Syndra answered.  _ What does she want? What is with that tone of hers? _

“You could have saved her”, Janna whispered. Her voice was soft and cold, like a winter wind. “You moved too late. You could have reached her before the beam.”

“No. I couldn’t. I should have hit the creature rather than run for her”, Syndra felt a heavy block in her heart.  _ I should have thought clearly there. Attack is the best defense sometimes. _

“Go rest, Star Guardians”, Archmage Ryze walked to Janna and Syndra, looking at the two Star Guardians in purple. “You need rest. All of you.”

“Janna doesn’t seem too exhausted, being able to fight with me still”, Syndra snorted. Somewhere further back Ahri and Jinx helped Miss Fortune stand, speaking with Karma and Zilean.

“Look who’s talking”, Janna’s voice was freezingly cold now. “Did you even fight, for real?”

“Cut it off, Star Guardians”, Archmage looked at the two. “Both of you need to  _ rest _ .”

“Harsh words”, Syndra looked down on Janna. “Are you sure you can still do this, after all you’ve seen, Star Guardian? Are you growing tired of it yet?”

“Syndra”, Archmage looked strictly at her. “Behave yourself. Remember what you are fighting for. Remember your duty.”

“Duty this and duty that”, Syndra snapped. “Fuck my duties. I’m not listening to that shit fake Guardian lecturing  _ me _ on my choices. As if I had any.”

“Syndra, I warn you”, Ryze shook his head.

“You know, this is what I live for”, Syndra waved her hands around. “Saving everyone. After years and years more of fighting, losing and building trust with people who keep on questioning me for my past. I have done nothing wrong, and yet I’m always seen as the traitor, the one who survived the first attack of the Void, even thought as one of them.”

“You have an aura around you, similar to theirs”, Janna said quietly. “You make everyone keep their distance. Why, if not to protect yourself from their lights?”

“To protect everyone from getting hurt”, Syndra hissed. “Myself and those around me. You should know. Star Guardians are never safe from losses, never safe from hurting themselves and those who care about them. Love is a weakness.”

“Love is powerful.”

“Love is a curse as much as a power.”

“Are you afraid of it?”

“No. But I’ve seen it destroy even the strongest of people”, Syndra sounded suddenly hurt. She stared at Janna, who stared back. 

“Syndra, Janna, enough of this. Go rest, now”, Archmage pointed towards the garden behind them.

“I will not rest near to you”, Janna whispered so quietly that Archmage barely heard it. Syndra’s eyebrows wrinkled and she flew a ball at Janna, like a slap towards her face. Janna blocked it with a fast shield, and before they could continue was Archmage between them.

“ _ Stop it, Syndra, don’t hurt your Star Guardian comrades or you will be banished as a traitor you are afraid to be seen as _ ”, his voice was strict and clear. Syndra gave a last angry look at Janna and murmured: “No need to banish me. I’ll leave myself.”

Before Archmage could answer her, Syndra had flown off through one of the open gates. From somewhere far behind her she could hear Ahri’s voice call out for her, but she didn’t plan on flying back.

_ If I’m only to bring sorrow on you, I’ll rather leave. Not as a traitor, but as a lonely protector of the universe _ , Syndra felt the sadness fill her throat, anger still burning in her chest.  _ I’m sorry, Ahri. You tried your best to make everyone trust me - but you failed. I can’t protect the universe with you if I’m not trusted by my teammates. _


	2. People fear what they cannot understand

Syndra flew as fast as she could. There was no one around anywhere nearby, but she couldn’t stop. Not yet. She needed a place to sit down for a moment, but she was still too close to the Crossroads.

_ I am not a betrayer _ , she thought bitterly, flying faster, nearly trembling by the effort. The last day had been rough in many ways, physically and mentally.  _ But why am I running? Who am I running from? _

Syndra flew forward. She passed millions of stars on her way, the air was growing colder every minute.  _ I must be close to the edge of our universe now. All of the universes we protect. It’s cold and the stars are growing dim. _

Syndra had to slow down. She didn’t want to cross the line and go to the Void in her anger. She wasn’t  _ that _ upset, to enter the Void by free will. Syndra looked around. One of the closest rocks seemed like a little island with some few green spots, probably a couple of trees and some grass around it.  _ I could sit there and keep an eye on the space around me, _ she thought and flew to the rock. It was an island, if it could be called an island in the space. It had a small pond in the middle and a few trees around, with some bushes and grass and flowers as well. It wasn’t big enough to live on, but as a rest stop it would do.

Syndra landed on the soft grass and walked to the pond. She looked upon her reflection on the mirror-like water.

_ Why? _ she thought, feeling the bitterness grow inside. This wasn’t the first time she was left alone, but it was none less painful either.  _ Why? _ It was never easy to find herself alone, lost her comrades, her team, her friends and loved ones.  _ Why? _ Every time she thought she had found the balance in her life and duty, if they could be separated from each other, she found herself broken again.  _ Why? _ She was always thought a traitor. She was always thought a coward, a creature of Void, a dark star, the one to blame when things went terribly wrong, the cursed Star Guardian.  _ People fear what they cannot understand. _ No one ever understood her. Barely anyone even tried to. And why would they, what would it cost to them to ask, to listen, to try and understand her?  _ The easy tasks seem often to be the hardest ones to go through. _

“Born from the cursed light, given the power she cannot control, a destiny she cannot fulfill, the dark guardian of the universe will never find the balance she needs to live by. Only death and sorrow follow the dark path she walks, the poisoned path that dies away with every step, the chaos will fall upon the world she loves too much”, Syndra whispered the words out loud. She had heard them once, years ago, but she could still remember them as clearly as if she had heard them just minutes ago.

_ They say every Star Guardian has their destiny written in the stars _ , Syndra thought staring at the dim dots above her, the small diamonds in the dark silky space. The silence around her was soft and painful at the same time, calming but lonely.  _ Only a few have a prophesy like mine, though. It is a sad prophesy, a destiny I’ve tried to avoid ever since I first gave my vow to be a Star Guardian. It’s been such a long time. And it seems I cannot fight it. I’ll have to give up on being a Star Guardian, or else no one is safe. I don’t want to bring all the worlds to the Void, even though the order of the worlds is not always righteous. A change may come, but it should not be in the form of eternal darkness. _

Syndra closed her eyes and lay quiet in the grass. On that small piece of rock the time seemed to stop. There was no wind on the space island, no birds to sing, nothing but her and her little familiars snuggling close to her body, and the still water that mirrored the sky above the island, thousands of dim stars flickering in the cold of the space, going slowly out one by one somewhere far, far away as the edge of the Void crept closer, casting its shadow upon the worlds in need of the Star Guardians, now more than ever.


End file.
